Eddie Irvine receives six-month sentence over fracas

Former Formula One racing driver Eddie Irvine has been sentenced to six months in jail in Italy over a brawl in a nightclub in Milan.

Irvine, from Conlig, County Down is not thought likely to have to serve any time in prison because sentences do not usually come into effect until the appeals process has been exhausted and they are usually suspended with such short terms, the Italian news agency Ansa reported.

Gabriele Moratti, 35, son of former Milan mayor Letizia Moratti, was also given six months over their altercation, which happened in December 2008.

The pair are said to have come to blows in the Hollywood disco over a text message allegedly sent by Irvine to a woman who had just ended a relationship with Moratti.

They subsequently reported each other to the authorities, which led to a trial for injury in a case which lasted nearly three years.

The BBC reported that the pair were found guilty of "mutual injury".

Irvine raced for Italian team Ferrari in Formula One from 1996 to 1999, and also had spells at Jordan and Jaguar.

The pair reportedly blamed each other for the dispute that took place in the VIP section of the club.